To Him Who Waits.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 71, 26 March 1910, Page 10

To Him Who Waits.

By THEEESE GUILLEAUME.

"Audrey V"You!" The two occupants of the Hrst-class carriage, into which one of them had hoisted himself just as the train was starting, gazed at each other for a moment in silence. As usual it was the women who recovered herself first; she. held out her hand almost Bhyly. "Won't you shake hands, Tony?" she asked as she smiled in her companion's" face. Tony Austin's fingers closed over the small suede-clad ones which shook a little as they lay in his own, but he could nob find his voice ; it was incredible that after all that had gone before they should meet like this ! He, Tony Austin, and she, Audrey Joscelyu, were once more face to face and alone*. It -was five years since they had met, and the world had changed! Tony dropped the little hand and sighed. Mrs. Joscelyn bit her lips and looked out of the window; but 1 although her eyes were undimmed, she saw nothing of the country through "which the train was speeding. Instead, he and she were standing together in her mother's drawing-room, and in the silence of the railway carriage she heard again quite clearly his passionate pleading — they loved each other; what did anything else matter? ■Tony was a younger son, vrith a younger son's prospects, diplomacy as a career, and tastes neither more iror less expensive than those of his fellows ; but he •was honestly whole-heartedly in love, and felt himself capable of any struggle, any sacrifice, with Audrey to work for her. It was Audrey who had flinched. She was just twenty, as delicate and. dainty as a Greuze, and as artificial/; her feeling for Tony was genuine as far as it went, but its limitations were soon reached. She knew she should regret it if she threw away the chance of fortune that offered itself to her as Tom Joscelyn's wife. Audrey had always been poor ; the winters in a cheap Continental capital, to enable her mother to economise for Audrey *s presentation and its subsequent expenses, had taught the girl many things. Tom Joscelyn had fallen head over ears in love with. Audrey. Be was his own master, and the catch of the season. It was no use ; the sentiment that drew her towards Tony was as a featherweight compared to the force that hurled her in the opposite direction. Audrey had cried a good deal, had>submited to Tony's caresses, listened tc his impassioned .words; but she had quite made up her. mind— "it was all over; they ■would be" 'friends — nothing more." And in due course Audrey had become Mrs. Joscelyn, and Tony Austin had schooled himself to meeting her. with apparent indifference. As she looked back, Audrey honestly thought that those twu years of her masnage had been the happiest o£ her life, 'lorn was amiable and not importunate, and Tony had gradually slipped into a dangerously delightful intinlaty with the young couple. -Andrey thoogfet even now that she would have been content to go on thus for ever, but a chance incident broke the- spell, and Tony realised that his love ■ for Tom Joscelyn's wife was more passionate than ever. There had been a scene between the lovers, in which once again the man had urged his sail, beg- . ging her to cast everything to- tho winds and go away with him. Audrey had dallied, been-evasive and; elusive. She could neithervmake up her mind to lose her lover, nor her position. While she pretended to hesitate-, Fate stepped in and - pai the cards into her hands to play as '-she- chose. Tom Joscelyn, riding in a' ' steeplechase, fell on his heal, and wa& killed outright. . When Audrey had been a widow for tix months, Tony had gone to- her ; there were but a few months to wait now, and they could be married. But Audrey had demurred. She was in the fnß bloom of he youth and beauty ; «he was rich, free, and extremely popular. Marriage with Tom had proved a light yoke, but she knew by instinct that Uony's love vrould make of their union a very different affair. Audrey was by no means a cold woman, but there were otfcer charms id life at least as potent for her as the raptures of passion. She vras herself tooshallow to measure- altogether what must be upon Tony the effect of fhe compromise she *hispered in his ear as she clung to him. Even now, with immeasurably more experience, she failed quite to understand why he had been so horrified — why he had . put her from him with such a 'ook of lncredulousnass; the expression changing to one of aontempt as she urged her point. He had left her without a word. A few days later she lad learnt that Tony had obtained a post at the British Embassy at Pekin. That had been five years ago, and until now she had neither seer nor heard of him. Wiiu an effort she 'iad turned her j lace. "You've not bee a back long?" :-he i^ked "About a month. But I've not been in London. Are we by any chance going . to the same house, I wonder? To stay . with the Halfords?" "Oh I" Audrey laughed nervously, ' it s lather absurd, 'isn't it? Do you mind very much? I'm only staying the week--end." M "H's you who peihaps began Tony hesitatingly, but Mrs. Joscelyn broke in quickly. "Oh, not in the least, only — her lips trembled ever so little, and she lifted her eyes appealingly to his — "can't we be friends?" "Why, of course." Austin's tone was ' a little constrained. He wished to heaven he had no memory. "You — you are not married?" continued Audrey, ignoring or not catching the inflection. "Not yet." This time Mrs. Joscelvn glanced at him sharply. '•Bu* you will be shortly? You are • engaged " "No — but " He stopped in some embarrassment- A quick vision of a • frank-eyed, brown-haired girl flashed across his mind, the sister of a brother attache whom he had met last year, and • with whose people he had just been visiting. She seemed oddly out of place • here with Audrey as his companion; ' Audrey with every natural grace culti1 vated and emphasised till the whole became almost aggressive, like the atmosphere of a room too overburdened with the scent of flowers. "Forgive me," said Mrs. Joscelyn qiucklv ; "I did not mean to be indis- . erect. " We are almost at Crayley." They talked a little of trivialities un- - til the train stopped, and the bustle of getting the luggage and stowing themselves in the waiting Mercedes came as a welcome relief. The Halfords were among Tony's old- ■ est friends, and had known of his infatuation for Audrey ; they had always wondered why the two had not married tt Tom Joscelyn's death. "I wish we conld have pub off the KUlc Joscelyn woman," said Dick Halford to his wife as he waited in her room before dinner. "I never liked ' the ide* of old Tony marrying her, but BOW '* Marion Halferd shrugged her shoulders.

"Tonj 's been away for years, Dick." "Yes — but Tony's a queer old stick, and he used to worship the ground she trod on." "Well, we can't do anything , aad after all it isn't likely that he'll go at it headlong and propose to her straight away. When Tony goes to London he'll be iv the way of hearing things, and all that, and— don't you think?" Mis. Halford paused significantly. Dick Halford shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway, as you say,, we can't do anything. There's dinner." Tony found himself observing Audrey as she moved about the drawingroom alter dinner, waiting with undisguised impatience for bridge to begin. She smiled up at him as she became conscious of his eyes. "Oh, yes, I've the fever badly," she said, laughing. "Bridge is as bad as a drug ; it grows on one until there is nothing and nobody but IT in the world." Mrs. Jocelyn was a daring player, as Tony soon realised. At first she was remarkably successful, and then suddenly the tide of foitune turned, and the little widow lost heavily ; but the fact only seemed to make her more adacious, she became utterly reckless, and when she rose from the table at last her losses ran into a somewhat formidable figure. Tony thought she looked very jaded and weary as she stood a couple of stairs above him holding out her hand to bid him good-night — his heart suddenly softened towards her. "How foolish you are to wear yourself out like this!"' he said gently. "Do you always play so intensely as to-night?" "Yes. 1 told you it was my passion," she answered, smiling, "I've given, up doing things by halves." Tony watched her along the dimly lighted gallery, and sighed. Poor little Audrey ; he could hardly have said why he pitied her, for she had all she desired, wealth and pleasure and position — and yet— <how haggard she looked just now ! Tony slept badly ; he was awakened out of his first sleep by the notion that someone had knocked at lib door. He lay still and listened, but the sound was not repeated He turned on the light, and got up, and he felt sure that a light step had scurried down the thickly carpeted corridor, yet when he opened the door there was no one in sight and no sound whatever. Laughingly at luncheon, when the party was assembled, he told his story, and to his great amazement he noticed a glance pass between the Halfords; no one had heard anything, and Tony submitted to the chaff of his f eHow-guests, but that look of intelligence between his host and hostess worried him. The day passed pleasantly enough, but Tony was puzzled by Audrey's attitude towards him. It would have been bo easy^ for them to ignore each other implicitly, but the either sought him out oi' else shunned him markedly; it was unlike what he «emembered of her. Audrey had scarcely been a creature of moods in the old days ; but there was no doubt that the five years which had elapsed since their meeting had left their mark on Mrs. Joscelyn. Audrey was not yei thirty, but already the Greuze-like contours of her face had sharpened ; there were little hollows in her cheeks, and a fine network of lines round her mouth and eyes; the delicacy of her complexion waa 'gone, although art did its best to replace it ; every artifice was U6ed to retain the old charm, and somehow only ee» - ved to emphasise it* loss. In the evening, however, Audrey looked more like her old self; she wore a clinging white gown with no ornaments, a ribbon was thieaded through her apparently carelessly dressed hair, and her manner was leys restless than Tony had yet teen it.. He felt more at ease* with her than he had > done since their meeting. The inevitable bridge was, of course, the order of the evening, and once again Tony marvelled at the recklessness of Mrs. Joscelyn's play ; luck was again altogether against her, and once more at the moment when the accounts were made up Audrey had lo&t considerably. "It's lucky you are a rich woman," said Tony, banteringly, ac Audrey slipped into her bodice the paper with the amount of her liabilities. "Yes, isn't it?" she said, laughingly, as she gathered up her belongings. She stopped a moment before a Venetian mirror and arranged her hair ; there was an indefinable change in her face as the turned away and held out her hand. "Good-night ; I'm going in the morning. Wheu shall we meet again, I wonder 7" Touy felt an unqualified fool, but he could find no words to answer her; he pressed her fingers and murmured the banal "Goodnight," and she clipped past him. Tony lay awake trying to explain to himself what it was thct had so oddly transformed 'Audrey during the moment she had stood at the glass. He tried to remember what he others had been doing. Most of the party had been laujjji ing and saying good-night ; Marion Halford had been staying at the other end of the room, with her back to them and her hands toying with the ornaments on the mantelpiece. Diek — Tony started up mi bed ; he had distinctly heard the creak of a door — was he again to hear the knocking at his own ? He listened ; he beard quite plainly the swish of Jrapery along the corridor. In a second lie was on liis feet, the door ajar, and lib ears pricked. Very faintly in the stillness he heard, or fancied he heard, that slight rustic ; a moment after he was following bis instinct and stealing stealthily down the broad staircase towards the drawing room, where a tiny glimmer of light protruded through the crack. Tony pushed it open noiselessly, and thin Mood stock-still in the dim 'lght and the silence. A woman's figure, small and slight, .balanced itself upon tip-ioe upon the hearth curb, while her hands fumbled among the knick-kiiackn on the shelf. The woman turned and advanced, and ihen, seeing Tony, uttered a cry and covered her face with 'her hands, and as she did so something brilliant s-lipped from her finjers and rolled to "Tony's feet. Mechanically he picked it vi». It was a large single-stoned diamond ringwhich Marion Halford had been wearing that evening. "Audrey !" But she cowered away irom him ard sank sobbing into n chair. "You must tell me what this means," he said, bewildered. "Why are you here? And thiis " He held up the ring. Audrey raised her face with sudden passion. "Why am I here? To steal." Her tears were dried, but her eyes were burning as she faced him. "Because I am desperate. Last night I tried to come to you to beg of you for old sake's sake to save me, but I dared not. When I got to your door I remembered what you know of me — what you would think — and I was afraid. On my way back I -saw Marion's dressing-room open. The temptation was irresistible. Her gold purse was where she left it. and — I emptied it. To-night I saw her slip this ring off. I saw it in the glass, and " bhe began to sob again. "But I' thought — -" said Tony after a moment. "You thought I Whs lich! But it's all gone. There was do one to stop me, no one to bete vac I spent and epent, and then debta came. Everyone

grew impatient, threatening. I tried cards, and won at first ; but now — oh, Tony, Tony, what shall I do?" She rocked herself to and fro, and then suddenly sat upright. "There is someone coming," she whispered, her eyes wide. "The ring was a snare 1 Tony ! Tony ! Save me !" She i lung to him desperately. He could feel the wild leaping of her heart. He put her away, and, darting to the fireplace, replaced the ring iv one of the old china cups. Audrey was behind him as he turned, her hands clenched, her eyes wild. "Tony " The agon) of her voice wrung * his neart. He put his arm around her and held her close. "Hush !" he whispered. At the same moment the door opened and Dick Hal- . ford stood upon the threshold. Audrey buried her 'face againlst Tony's breast. She trembled so she could scarcely stand. Tony bent his head and whispered her to have courage. "Tony ! Mrs. Joscelyn !" Dick Halford advanced towards them awkwardly, apologetically. "I'd no idea, Tony laughed. One hand held Audrey close, the other he extended to Halford. "Don't be hard on us, Dick. I know we've behaved badly ; but I could not rest till I had it out with Audrey. It's all right now. She's promised to marry me." Audrey made a sudden movement, but Tony's grip held her, while Dick Halford stammered clumsily half-finish-ed phrases of congratulation. "Did you hear us come down?" interrupted Tony with a laugh. "Yes — I — that is, Marion left a ring down here and I " He wandered to the fire place, and Audrey's fingers dug themselves into Tony's arm as they waited to hear the little click the jewel made as Dick rattled it against the china cup when he withdrew it. ''Got it? That's right," said Tony, as Dick came towards them. "And now we'd better all go to bed, eh?" Dick remained last and switched off the light, while iv the darkness Audrey whispered — "Tony, how can I thank you? Don't be afraid ; I'll find a way to get you out of it." For the space of a fraction of a second Tony realised that he could vet have his freedom ; that frank brown-haired girl need not be a dream, after all, if he chose — if he chose ; but the frail arms of Audrey still clutched him ; her fragile figure still rested against him ; the idol had been shattered long ago — pity had replaced passion and worship ; but for the old time's sake he could not let her go ; for the memory of the Audrey his fancy had created and adored, this poor shorn and shivering image of what had been should not be swept utterly away. Tony put away from him the clear eyes he knew, and his arm tightened round the shivering woman, ana he lied boldly "Jind tenderly. "But I don't want mj freedom, Audrey — I want you." "Of course, it must be quite nil right, Dick, but if Tony meant to marry her, it's a pity he did not do so five years before — all sorte of things — and I don't care what you say, I know T dropped the ring in the old shavingdish, and not in a cup at all !" — The World.